Does development of renewable energy reduce energy intensity? Evidence from 82 countries

2022 ◽  
Vol 174 ◽  
pp. 121254
Author(s):  
Shiwei Yu ◽  
Jie Liu ◽  
Xing Hu ◽  
Peng Tian
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Intensity

scholarly journals Threshold Effect of Economic Growth on Energy Intensity—Evidence from 21 Developed Countries

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (14) ◽  
pp. 4199
Author(s):  
Jinjin Zhou ◽  
Zenglin Ma ◽  
Taoyuan Wei ◽  
Chang Li
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Urban Population ◽  
Energy Intensity ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Renewable Energy Consumption ◽  
Tertiary Industry ◽  
D Investment ◽  
Threshold Point

Based on threshold regression models, this paper analyzes the effect of economic growth on energy intensity by using panel data from 21 developed countries from 1996 to 2015. Results show that a 1% increase in GDP per capita can lead to a 0.62–0.78% reduction in energy intensity, implying economic growth can significantly reduce energy intensity. The extent of the reduction in energy intensity varies depending on the economic development stages represented by key influencing factors including energy mix in consumption, urbanization, industrial structure, and technological progress. Specifically, the reduction in energy intensity due to economic growth can be enhanced with relatively more renewable energy consumption and more urban population until a threshold point, where the enhancement disappears. On the other hand, the extent of the energy intensity reduction due to economic growth can be weakened with relatively more tertiary industry activities and more research and development (R&D) investment in an economy until a threshold point, where the weakening cannot continue. However, compared to the early stages represented by the low ends of renewable energy consumption, urban population, tertiary industry activities, and R&D investment, the later stages represented by the high ends of these key factors after a threshold show the weakened effect of economic growth on the decline of energy intensity. Hence, when an economy is well-developed, policy makers are advised to put fewer expectations on the role of economic growth to reduce energy intensity, while pursuing relatively cleaner energy, greater urbanization, more tertiary industry activities, and advanced technologies.

scholarly journals The Influence of Intellectual Capital on Economic Progress and Sustainability

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irina Chiriac ◽  
Gabriela Ignat ◽  
George Ungureanu ◽  
Carmen Luiza Costuleanu
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Gross Domestic Product ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Energy Intensity ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Major Area ◽  
Economic Progress ◽  
Capital Growth

Bio-economy is a major area of the strategy that can afford the European Union to achieve growth: (i) smart, through the development of knowledge and innovation; and (ii) sustainable, based on a greener, more efficient economy in resource management. We believe that the progress of bio-economy cannot be achieved without the harnessing of intellectual capital. Our research aimed to emphasize the benefits of the dynamics of the intellectual capital growth on the evolution of the bio-economy. Thus, the information published by Eurostat (European Statistic Institute) during a period spanning seven years (2011-2018) was used to assess the influence exerted by the conduct of the harness of intellectual capital related to sustainability as well as for the reporting of indicators relevant to appreciating an economic progress and sustainability (renewable waste material, share of renewable energy and energy intensity of the economy). The ultimate goal was represented by the generation of a regression model to see what factor influences mostly the progress of the bio-economy at European and Romanian level. Significant dependency relationships were identified. The results remain robust even after the introduction of certain control variables, such as gross domestic product rate, food production, population growth, urbanization growth and inflation. Our paper sets out to contribute to expanding the specialty literature by highlighting the involvement of intellectual capital as a factor in optimizing sustainability growth and, at a methodological level, by using a multiple regression.

scholarly journals The Implementation of Climate Change Policy in Post-Soviet Countries Achieving Long-Term Targets

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 4558
Author(s):  
Yuliia Matiiuk ◽  
Mykolas Simas Poškus ◽  
Genovaitė Liobikienė
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Energy Intensity ◽  
Climate Change Policy ◽  
Renewable Energy Consumption ◽  
Change Policy ◽  
The Eu

Contribution to climate change mitigation is required for all world countries. Post-Soviet countries’ climate change policy strategies by 2030 (2035) were adopted relatively recently. Thus, the aim of this study is to analyze the achievements of climate change policy, encompassing carbon emissions, energy intensity, and renewable energy consumption, in separate Post-Soviet countries and to reveal the possibilities of reaching their long-term 2030–2035 targets. The results showed huge differences in carbon emissions, energy intensity, and the share of renewable energy consumption among Post-Soviet countries. Analyzing the trends of climate change policy implementation in almost all Post-Soviet countries (except Ukraine and Uzbekistan), carbon pollution increased during the analyzed period (2002–2014). The highest growth of emissions was observed in Georgia and Tajikistan. Furthermore, the economic development level was positively and significantly related to the level of carbon emissions. During the 2002–2014 period, energy intensity decreased in all Post-Soviet countries, particularly in those where the level was lower. The share of renewable energy consumption increased the most in countries that are members of the EU (Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia) and Moldova, which declared its willingness to join the EU. However, the energy intensity and the share of renewable energy consumption were insignificantly related to the level of economic development. Analyzing the possibility of achieving the Post-Soviet countries’ climate change policy targets, the results showed that only some of them will succeed. Therefore, Post-Soviet countries should implement more efficient climate change policies and effective tools in order to achieve their targets.

Exploring the Effect of Renewable Energy on Low-Carbon Sustainable Development in the Belt and Road Initiative Countries: Evidence From the Spatial-Temporal Perspective

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianhan He ◽  
Jianhua Chen ◽  
Hengming Peng ◽  
Hailin Duan
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Capital Investment ◽  
Energy Intensity ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Temporal Perspective ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
Cross Country ◽  
The Cross ◽  
The Belt And Road

Abstract The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has promoted the deployment of renewable energy to achieve sustainability. It is essential to reveal the influence of renewable energy on low-carbon economic development. The share of renewable energy consumption (SREC) is taken as the core explanatory variable in this paper, and its impacts on carbon emission intensity (CEI) and economic growth are investigated from the spatial-temporal perspective. First, the panel Granger causality test is applied for revealing the causal links among SREC, CEI, and economic growth during 1999-2017. Then, this paper investigates the impacts of SREC on economic growth and CEI through rigorous econometric techniques. Based on the regression results, Shapley value decomposition is utilized to account for the cross-country inequalities of economic growth and CEI. The main findings are as follows: (1) There exist bidirectional Granger causalities between SREC, economic growth, and CEI, which shows there is a systematic link between the three variables. (2) All models demonstrate the inverted U-shaped nexus between SREC and economic growth, indicating renewable energy deployment costs are urgent to be decreased with SREG increasing. Besides, capital investment and openness positively affect economic growth, but energy intensity has an opposite impact. (3) From the spatial heterogeneity perspective, the cross-country inequality in economic growth is primarily due to the regional inequality of capital investment, followed by energy intensity and SREC. By contrast, the impacts of labor and openness are negligible. (4) SREC has a negative effect on CEI. In addition, an inverted U-shaped nexus between economic growth and CEI is observed. Energy intensity positively affects CEI, while the impacts of urbanization and openness are insignificant. (5) From the spatial heterogeneity perspective, the cross-country CEI inequality is mostly caused by the inequality of energy intensity, followed by SREC, urbanization and economic growth, while the contribution of the openness gap is little. This article provides important implications for low-carbon development in the BRI countries.

scholarly journals The effect of renewable energy use and economic growth on pollution in the EUROZONE

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Panagiotis Nikolaos Fotis ◽  
Victoria Pekka
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Saving ◽  
Method Of Moments ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Energy Intensity ◽  
Generalized Method Of Moments ◽  
Environmental Pollutants ◽  
Dynamic Panel

The aim of this paper is to empirically examine the effect of renewable energy use and economic growth on pollution within EUROZONE from 2005 to 2013 by utilizing Dynamic Panel Generalized Method of Moments approaches. The empirical results reveal that economic growth positively affects environmental pollutants. The use of renewable sources of energy negatively affects pollution. The more the renewable energy we use the less the air pollution. However, energy saving and energy intensity contribute to more air pollution.

scholarly journals Energy efficiency of fossil and renewable fuels

2016 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Winfried Schäfer
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Energy Supply ◽  
Energy Input ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Energy Intensity ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Energy Output ◽  
Engine Fuel ◽  
Wide Range

Assessment results of renewable energy supply in agriculture and forestry are often questionable because 1. the methodology does not describe the nature dependent conditions of agricultural production, 2. there is no standard system boundary, 3. thermodynamic laws are violated and/or ignored, 4. direct and embodied energy is mixed, 5. the mainstream life cycle analysis (LCA) takes downstream and upstream inputs arbitrarily into consideration, depending on the research objectives and the research-funding agency. Thus, the calculation results neglect a wide range of specific energy input figures of upstream and down-stream factors outside farm level resulting in non-comparable figures. The EROI describes the ratio between energy output and input. The advantage of this measure is that energy input and output of fuel supply as well as the resulting CO2 emissions are comparable. There are no standards to calculate the indirect energy input of commodities and services hidden in monetary inputs (insurances, rent for land, subsidies and fees etc.). They are usually excluded because procedures to handle them as energy input are rare. The easiest way to quantify the indirect energy is the use of the energy intensity (EI). Multiplying the price of any good or service with the energy intensity results in a rough estimation of energy embodied in the good or service. Applying the EROI and the EI to compare the efficiency of fossil and renewable energy supply released the following results: Substitution of fossil fuels by renewable ones causes always additional costs. Most known renewable energy supply techniques need more energy than fossil fuel exploitation. Polluting the environment is - for the time being – the most competitive alternative. Renewable engine fuel, produced from biomass, is not competitive with fossil fuels in terms of EROI. The energy of one ha biomass may substitute gasoline to drive a car 40 000 km with biogas. Electric power harnessed from one ha solar panels enables to drive an electric vehicle 5 000 000 km applying the same calculation method. The most efficient way to mitigate CO2 emissions is to include the entropy of agricultural products in energy policy decision making. Albeit wood has a high EROI, processing fuels from wood of low entropy makes no sense: Producing a table from a tree and burning the residues and the table at the end of its lifetime renders the same energy gain as using the tree for fuel only. The EROI of fossil fuels remains probably on high level during the next 50 to 100 years. Oil and gas will be replaced by coal, in Finland also by nuclear power, peat and wood. Although biomass is more renewable than fossil fuels, its EROI is lower and substitution will not reduce CO2 emissions. Climate change may force humankind to reduce fossil fuel consumption. The only sustainable way to achieve this is reduction of fossil fuel exploitation.

scholarly journals Analyzing the Role of Renewable Energy and Energy Intensity in the Ecological Footprint of the United Arab Emirates

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 227
Author(s):  
Eyup Dogan ◽  
Syed Faisal Shah
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Environmental Pollution ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Ecological Footprint ◽  
Energy Intensity ◽  
Real Output ◽  
Bounds Testing ◽  
The Government

Even though a great number of researchers have explored the determinants of environmental pollution, the majority have used carbon emissions as an indicator while only recent studies have employed the ecological footprint which is a broader and more reliable indicator for the environment. The present study contributes to the literature by exploring for the first time in the literature the role of real output, energy intensity (technology), and renewable energy in the ecological footprint under the STIRPAT framework for a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) country—the United Arab Emirates. By applying the novel bounds testing with dynamic simulations on the data from 1992–2017, the findings of this paper reveal that energy intensity and renewable energy have a negative and significant influence on the ecological footprint but real output has a positive and significant impact on it. In other words, the empirical results indicate that a rise in the real income increases environmental pollution while increases in renewable energy and advances in technology mitigate the level of emissions. The findings also suggest that the government should establish new programs, investment opportunities, and incentives in favor of energy intensity-related technology and renewable energy for the sake of environmental sustainability. The outcomes from this research analysis are useful for policymakers, industrial partners, and project designers in the United Arab Emirates.

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